The 24th Bond film carries on Daniel Craig's tenure as the famous British spy in this action thriller. In a break from the mould from the series, this outing is quite continuity heavy, with every Craig film referenced. The basic plot follows, a cryptic message from recently deceased M (Judi Dench), leads Bond to Mexico City and Rome, where he meets the beautiful recent widow (Monica Bellucci) of an infamous criminal. After infiltrating a secret meeting, 007 discovers the existence of the sinister organization 'SPECTRE'. Needing the help of the daughter of an old nemesis, he embarks on a dangerous mission to find her. As Bond ventures toward the heart of SPECTRE, he discovers a chilling connection between himself and the enemy (Christoph Waltz) he seeks.
What stands out, from the birdman esque opening shot of Bond amidst to the demolition of MI6 in the heart of London, is the fantastic direction of Sam Mendes who gives this film a completely different feel to his second Bond film. This film is bigger, in both scale and consequences for character. The extermination of MI6's double O programme, leading to its replacement, the Joint Intelligence Service, felt like a natural progression for the series as it was also a key plot point in Skyfall (2012). Although the revelation that this was part of Blofeld's plan was heavily sign posted it was satisfactory. The film definitely contains some of the most exciting action sequences from the shows history. The opening helicopter fight was brilliantly epic but also gritty and contained, had style and is quite possibly my favourite opening of all time.
The continuation of M (Ralph Fiennes), Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) respective roles in the series are much appreciated, building a nice family for Bond in the movie, this shows how Bond has developed over the past few films, 'Quantum of Solace' (2008) especially had Craig's Bond isolated and alone. This culminates in Bond settling down in the last scenes of the film with Dr Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) a first for the recent films, which normally end in death (Casino Royale, Skyfall). This brings me onto the latest Bond girl, Dr Swann, who is definitely the strongest since Vesper, immensely watchable, she conveys her love for bond and tragic relationship with her late father with ease.
If I was to have a problem with the film, and these are only minor niggles, I felt that Andrew Scott deserved a larger role in the film, he feels like an afterthought. His death is also a bit of an anti-climax if still dramatic. All in all this is the Craig film I have been waiting for, it meshes the traditional bond themes and plot twists with 1984 visions to make something brand new, with repercussions from the past and plenty of continuity. I believe this is a great story for Craig to bow out on, his journey is complete. *****
0 Comments